I am the type of person who loves to work with my hands and create, repair and trouble shoot mechanical devices. I was so happy when we were recently introduced to editing images and we were shown how to screen capture, some things that I can sink my teeth into because these are useful tools for me. The video will be interesting and I am anxious to see how that goes. I enjoy and find meaning in repairing, troubleshooting and doing artistic and mechanical tasks. It engages the mind and allows me to depart from the immediate giving me time to reflect and dwell and is a calming exercise which prepares me to continue more focused. If you do not have a venue in which to be able to escape I encourage you to find something that is not normal or routine. When I run into technology problems which has occurred many times since starting this class I take a break from the frustration.

I would rather stop and create a wood burning or do an oil painting
and free my mind. Then I can return focused and attempt to proceed with a better mindset in order to be successful at my level of comfort. I am more comfortable taking small bites and it increases my understanding of the topic better, rather than being forced fed where I wind up wearing it. It is not useful if it is not consumed. I do realize some are more prepared and can adapt more easily to technology and I applaud your strength but I cannot help wondering how much retention is gained and can be displayed after through memory.

Comparison of events.

This week we started Linkedin, I feel a lot more comfortable at this point and I find Linkedin much more acceptable as a tool I feel that could be utilized by me more so than the others we have explored. The feel is more professional and less social media based. I found it very easy to maneuver and that is probably due to the fact we have been exposed to so many at this point that there are commonalities or similarities which create a mood of relaxation when dealing with it.
Also at this point after stumbling around other sites I am less apprehensive about snooping, poking and finding by exploration how to make my way around to accomplish the simple requirements needed to meet our goals. I feel personally information found here will be a better use of my time to promote and extend my PLN.  Businesses and professionals that post here are geared that way with less personal trash to have to wade through to find something useful. This difference is what separates this site for me as compared to blogging, facebook and twitter. At the very least there is less maybe because it is designated as a site for professionals. I must admit I have learned much more than I anticipated and I may go without as much kicking and screaming as before but it will still take a pretty big nudge.

Outcome Assessment misunderstood.

If you are considering going into teaching or even if you are already established please give some consideration to my thoughts and I welcome feedback. As an educational supervisor and being involved with education over the past 13 years I am still amazed at how misunderstood outcomes assessment is, which has no boundaries. Whether it be a rookie or seasoned teacher. It is always an issue every time we hear about an accreditation visit or during an evaluation cycle.

Then and only then does it become foremost on everyone's mind. We are taught how to develop curriculum and construct programs of learning by stacking curriculum together to fulfill the needs of that program without regard to what we are trying to truly achieve. Which in my mind should be a model for continuous improvement.The goals or objectives are not outcomes, simply stated. Goals and objectives may be and definitely should be directly tied into your outcomes but are not one in the same. Please remember outcomes must be able to be measured, remember we are trying to accumulate data. This data will aid us in improving our courses and delivery techniques to allow us to do a better job. I know we give students tests, but honestly what does this really tell us. The tests I give are solely for the purpose of establishing grading criteria and have absolutely nothing too very little to do with outcomes.

In today`s world we are being asked more and more to define outcomes, for reasons of funding, continuation of instruction and value of content. Agencies are asking for transparency and proof of purpose. I feel PTE programs have always had a edge in this arena because of advisory committee input and feedback. The shift recently has been toward academic reform especially in general education credits and for the first time academia has encountered this challenge. People are asking questions about what is an educated person, and how we define this will be criticized unless we have established well defined outcomes.

I just read an interesting article put out by the HBR a leadership blog I follow addressing how successful we can be even when we do not follow traditional ideology that Boards or CEO`s may not find suitable or even would consider appropriate in certain business related ventures. Characteristics that normally would not be considered worthy or are considered negative may have value depending on the circumstances of the venture. Not all success in business is best suited for the over achievers who have the best track records and credentials or even personality traits. Although we try and mimic the traits that companies portray for success to fit their guidelines. There are instances and circumstances when who we are is viable and conducive to the success of the overall goal. I have posted this link on twitter.

Twitter to say the least has been interesting. I still have not figured everything out and probably will not. I just today did a profile on blogger which I finally had time to go back and check things out enough to discover that was possible. Things are starting to get crossed up and I am double checking where I think I am compared to where I am truly. Starting to feel like a ping pong ball in the middle of all this technology. I missed the opportunity to get a profile configured on Twitter and when I read the instructions and watched the tutorial it stated I could edit that but have not obtained any success as of yet.#Techhrd

Well I must admit the frustration has been limited. I am starting to get the hang of things, it seems to be getting a little easier. Trying to keep everything in perspective, the challenge now is managing the logistics of everything we are trying to keep up with while juggling other classes and the job. I have learned a couple of things once I get a chance to reflect. One thing for sure is that there are many more opportunities out there than what I once thought was available. With just the couple of things we have learned it has opened new avenues of interest and pathways that could be utilized to benefit me in a much more selective way.

#techhrd

Well, the pressure is mounting as I fight my way through Twitter and trying to find out how to interact. I think I tweeted myself twice while trying to make contact with Matt. He said he was going kicking and screaming into twitter and I tried to respond by saying I heard him loud and clear. I know now why people do not get anything done.